Just hours after the Senate overwhelmingly voted to enforce further sanctions against (mostly) Russia, North Korea and Iran, while binding Trump from undoing any measures against Moscow without Congressional approval, in the process infuriating not only the Kremlin but America's European allies, with Brussels warning repeatedly it will have no choice but to respond in kind, on Friday morning Russia’s Foreign Ministry ordered the United States to cut its diplomatic staff to 455 by Sept. 1 and said it was seizing a dacha compound used as a retreat as well as a warehouse used by US diplomats in retaliation for new U.S. sanctions against Moscow.

The move is “linked to the passing of the new law on sanctions,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov tells reporters on conference call, explaining that Russia acted before law signed by President Donald Trump because the form of legislation unlikely to change.

“The Russian side is suspending the use of all storage facilities on Dorozhnaya Street in Moscow, and a cottage in Serebryaniy Bor by the US Embassy in Russia as of August 1,” the ministry said in a statement.

Moscow also said that the number of US diplomatic service staff in Russia should be reduced to equal the number of Russian diplomats in the US by September 1. “This means that the total number of personnel involved in the American diplomatic and consular institutions in the Russian Federation is reduced to 455.”

Shortly after the statement, Interfax reported, citing an unidentified person that "hundreds, not dozens, of U.S. diplomatic and technical staff will have to leave Russia as part of retaliation"

Russian President Vladimir Putin has approved the move, according to his spokesman, Dmitry Peskov.

U.S. embassy in Moscow, Russia

The foreign ministry also said that Russia is also prepared to resort to additional retaliatory measures in case of new moves by Washington to reduce its diplomatic corps.

“In the case of new unilateral actions of the US authorities to reduce the number of our diplomats in the US, it will be followed by a tit-for-tat response,” the Foreign Ministry stated. “We reserve the right on other mutual measures, which can affect US interests."

Two weeks ago, on July 14, Moscow warned that it was running out of patience in light of the stalemate that followed the closure of two Russian diplomatic compounds in the US, and mentioned possible retaliatory measures including the expulsion of diplomats. “We have something to retaliate with: the personnel of the US embassy in Moscow greatly exceeds the number of our embassy staff in Washington,” Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova stated.

Russia's retaliation, outlined in a statement from the Foreign Ministry, came a day after the U.S. Senate voted to slap new sanctions on Russia, putting President Donald Trump in a tough position by forcing him to take a hard line on Moscow, angering both Russia and the EU, or veto the legislation and anger his own Republican Party.

Russia's initial tit-for-tat response comes after Russian diplomatic property was confiscated by the Obama administration in 2016, in response to alleged Russian meddling in the US election. The US also expelled 35 Russian diplomats and denied Russian diplomatic staff access to the New York and Maryland compounds.

Comments

"Good"? Thats your comment, or is that your excuse for your comment-hogging existance?I hope Putin is saving something with a little more teeth than this weak gesture for Trumps signing into law of the Sanctions Bill.

It is veto proof, frozen brain. I hope he does veto it, or just let it lay on his desk until it automatically becomes law, as a sign that he is not on board. This whole Russia fabricationis about to come to a head, and when the smoke clears, Trump will be the one who was right.George Webb summary from yesterday offers up a bunch of leads that can't be ignored much longer and joins a lot of loose ends into one big assed package of treason.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P23L-zY8CeY

"comment-hogging"1. Adding a comment with a simple punctuation in order to "first" and then to fill out the comment later2. Adding a simple or inane comment at the top of the thread just to be "first", without having the whit to add anything funny, controversial or even relevant.This is my spontaneous definition

Putin and his handlers know full well that if they bared their teeth, the MSM would dutifully ensure that the connections between Putin's response and Washington's previous actions remain unconnected.Putin isn't a complete retard like Donald Trump or George W. Bush. A stupid country with the world's largest military can make stupid mistakes with stupid leaders threatening, bombing and invading at will. The rest of the world cannot afford to behave that way.

Russia, and Putin, have been playing the ZOG whipping boy since 1991. Over the last 25 years the US has lost credibility as it sinks ever further into debt and is eroded human capital becomes clear to the world.At some point Russia and Putin need to make a defian gesture, but not a military one. There are a lot of ways the Russia could strike back, especially ones that would split eastern Europe from the EU or the EU from Nato, etc. Sweden seems very vulnerable right now.They could also start releasing information about the dark states covert operations over the last 70 years.But just like Trump the don't, because they are part of ZOG.

I don't believe Russia really needs to do much of anything except minimize American influence in it's neck of the woods. The problem is can Putin live long enough for that to happen. He's not a young man and one can always fall in the shower one morning.My worry is that Putin's replacement is going to be way more hardline because the populations inside Russia and without want someone to take a harder line. It's a worry because Washington (and it's vassals) will match any belligerency with even more of it's own. Soon, things will spiral out of control and I don't think the Europeans will follow up on their threats they made recently. They will capitulate as they always do as Mr. Global tells them to sit down, shut up and do as they're told.

In other words Putin is so afraid of the US he will not find his backbone because of the US MSM. You are saying Putin's response is always based upon what he thinks the US citizen's perception might be. Not the Russian citizen or Russian protection/interests.

No wonder Russia now has NATO missiles along Russia's western borders.

Putin's response -
"The Russian side is suspending the use of all storage facilities on Dorozhnaya Street in Moscow, and a cottage"

No storage on one street and no use of a nice vacation cottage. Don't Poke The Bear!!

This constant refrain of 'The world's Largest military' reminds me of the overly large asshole kid in junior high, using his size to intimdate others - until he encounters a child half his size, but with 10X his stamina, and will to win...

those US Conregress votes on Russia sanction are yet one more indication that the ~535 odd elected legistators will vote deep state whenever told toSDR? yeah suretrash cash? digits are goodsieze PM's? no problemolegalize pedophillia? what a relief

Russia is not an aggressor. They take counter action, but a lot of thought goes into the move, like in chess. Merica plays like checkers and that is why they are always behind the curve. China is much the same. Merica is like the neanderthal.I picture Vlad and Sergey rollin on the floor holding their gut when Trump announced that freaks are not allowed in the military. Hence the delay in this announcement of retaliatory action. China must be havin a good laugh too at merica. Soon there will be a Laugh at merica summit in Asia. Deturte will host it.

A while back, some drunken(?) drama queen on a flight from Moscow to Barcelona refused to obey cabin staff to cease misbehaving and allow the flight to take off. He stood at the front of the cabin chanting "Russian people are the shittiest. Like, seriously. They're so shit."Another passenger eventually showed him the error of his ways.http://www.nsfwyoutube.com/watch?v=xmpnOAHkzKAMeanwhile the west will wail 'Putin oppression'

But in a sense, each time the Deep State wins, it also loses. If people lose faith in the system, then they have no motivation to fight for it when the inevitable crises the system makes rolls around. I think they're counting on the odds no one will confront militarized police actions when the need for it arises. They might be right if you take a gander at places like Sisi's Egypt. The Mubarak crowd reasserted itself after the population lost faith in it.

Why don't they just send McStain to Moscow as ambassador? When he dies they can embalm him and prop him up like in Weekend at Bernie's. Pull the 455 back to the USSA and put them to work as burger flippers at McDonalds at $15 an hour in Seatle.

U didn't read the article very well.... there are a LOT more than 455 over there ....."This means that the total number of personnel involved in the American diplomatic and consular institutions in the Russian Federation is reduced to 455.”

More theatre. Each go around allows for the actors to be better defined.Congress never pulled this shit on the brown clown and his deals, Hell, they couldn't even discuss the TPP. Now they have the stones for this.